


On The Offense

by TheShinyFruitcake



Series: Steven universe gem raised AU [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShinyFruitcake/pseuds/TheShinyFruitcake
Summary: It was a normal day in Beach City. Not a worry in sight. No immediate danger in sight.If that's the case..... Why is there a chain length fence blocking off half the beach? And who's the boy on the other side?-----Hey so I decided to upgrade all the chapters as well as give a better description.This is basically a story where Steven was even more isolated than he is in Canon. Feels bad man.
Relationships: Amethyst & Garnet & Pearl & Steven Universe, Amethyst & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Garnet & Steven Universe, Pearl & Steven Universe, Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Series: Steven universe gem raised AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633111
Comments: 34
Kudos: 160





	1. An epic prologue to an epic story

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that I do not own Steven universe. This is all the mumblings of a mad woman. All rights go to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network. 
> 
> Also note the same story exist on Tumblr as a comic. Drawing takes time so the comic will take longer to make. (Am no longer doing this)

Beach city was a nice city. It was small and quiet and the people there were nice. Connie has only been there for a little over a week now. She's been to the beach a few times as well but, for some reason half the beach was cut off with a fence. There weren't any signs or anything. It looked like there once were signs but they have long since been torn off. Most likely from some teenagers or maybe by time. Either way the fence was bare and had no signs to indicate anything. 

Maybe the fence was there for everyone's protection. There were some pretty rocky cliffs from what she could see. Maybe they had a rock falling problem or maybe mud slides? Either way there was a clear reason why the fence was there and Connie was not going to disturb it. Whatever it was protecting people from it must have been very dangerous. 

It was a normal Sunday morning. The sun was beaming down across Beach City and the shoreline went back and forth. Today Connie just sat in front of the fence. It's been another week since she discovered the fence and the curiosity was killing her. She wouldn't dare jump it because that would be irresponsible and her mother would kill her. But lately all she could think about was what was on the other side. 

Connie was getting ready to leave when she saw something. In the distance appeared to be…. A boy? He looked to be the same age as her. Maybe 12, 13. Who knows. He had long shoulder length dark fluffy hair that covered half of his face. He wore a dark red sweatshirt with dark blue pants that looked to be too big on him. Despite looking young, he had a harsh, cold facial expression. He looked like he was scanning the shoreline. 

Why was this boy on the other side of the fence? Doesn't he know it's dangerous. There's a fence for a reason mystery boy. Connie was very confused but before she could yell anything to him he walked off in the opposite direction from her before disappearing from sight.

She sat there still by the fence. Sat there and wondered, 'who was that boy'


	2. Hello mystery boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie meets the mystery boy

Connie hopped the fence. Yup. You heard it, Connie Maheswaran was a fence hopper. She knew if she told her mother about this she would kill her. She just had to see this side of the fence. She just had to. It's been too long since she first discovered it and after seeing the boy on the other side she just had to go. 

Looking at the cliffs, it was clear there was no real danger here. At least not any she can detect. If there was nothing to protect what was the point of having a fence. Then again, maybe the boy was the son of the people who lived here. Maybe this is private property and that's why there is a fence. Wow Connie you've really done. First you were a fence hopper and now you're a trespasser. She should just turn around and- 

A short blade stood only a few centimeters from her face. She was a little taken aback, and then she noticed who held the blade. 

It was the boy. He had a scowl on his face and he continued to point the blade at her. She put her hands up in a defensive stance to show she was of no harm or illintent. Still his face only got harsher. 

"Who are you, and why are you here…" he said. That would have been threatening if his voice was so high pitched. 

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to trespass, I was just curious!" She defended herself. He looked taken aback by this. Like it was a big surprise to him that she would apologize. It wasn't long before this period of shock was gone and replaced with the scowl. 

"I asked you a question, human, WHO ARE YOU" He yelled that last part. He was clearly upset about her presence there. 

"My name's Connie." 

"Ok. Now leave" he put his blade down before turning to leave. Connie stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. 

"Wait you haven't told me your name!" She accidentally said that a little too loud as he quickly pulled his sleeve away with a lot of force and gritted his teeth at her. 

"I will not give such information to you, Human" he said this with so much venom in his voice. 

Why did he call her human? It was pretty obvious to her that he was human too. She had a name. She even told him her name but he still called her human. It was rather rude. 

"I gave you my name so why can't you give me yours" she questioned him. Again he seemed taken aback by her. He looked to the ground before looking up with a look of defeat. 

"Steven… my name is Steven" he said quietly. Like he was embarrassed by his own name. The blush on his face was a clear give away that he was embarrassed. She smiled at him and that seemed to make him even more uncomfortable. 

"Thank you Steven. And sorry for trespassing again. I'll be leaving now. Bye.." she turned to leave but as soon as she turned around he grabbed her sleeve to stop her. 

"Wait!" He yelled this. She turned around and he had a look of wonder in his face. Stars in his eyes and his mouth wide open. When she looked at him he fired a million questions at her. What were humans like, are they like gems, are they different from gems, can they poof, do they eat like he does, are there more of them, and on and on the questions just flowed a million miles per hour. 

"Wait, wait hold on, slow down. I can't answer all of those" she said, quickly stopping him. He went from a look of pure wonder to pure scorn. He was clearly upset by what they said. 

"Why not," he whined. How did this boy go from shoving a blade in her face, to whining like a baby. She kinda felt bad for him. 

"Well for starters i don't know what some of the things you said are, secondly it's the middle of the night. My parents are probably worried sick" she said. 

"Parents?" He asked like he never heard the word before. 

"Yeah you know, parents, the people who care for you and stuff" she said, a little confused. Did he not know what parents are? Based on his questions it's like he's never seen a human before in his life. 

"I don't think I have those," he said simply. And now she felt worse. Here she is, Connie Maheswaran, trespassing into the home of an orphan. Why didn't she just stay home. 

"Oh…. Well that's not good.." she said simply. She really did not know how to respond to that. 

"Hey why don't I come back in the morning and we can go around town" she offered. This seemed to brighten him as the stars were back in his eyes. 

"I didn't know there was a town!" He said excitedly. 

"Then I guess that's settled. See you tomorrow Steven" and at that she left. 

"Bye…. Connie" Steven said that quietly. He stood there for about 20 minutes before he heard footsteps behind him.

"Yo ste-man, why are you standing all by yourself" a purple gem said behind him. She had simple clothing with a pale lavender top with grayish purple torn pants. Her hair was a pale lavender color and was tied in the middle. She had a bright purple gem in the center of her chest. 

"Oh well…" he was about to tell her the truth but stopped himself. She and the other gems always talked about how bad humans are. Surely she would be upset and tell Pearl and Garnet that he was talking to a human.

"Nothing much Amethyst, just thinking" he said. He hoped that his lie went through well. She squinted at him before shrugging. 

"Fair enough, you better head back to the temple, pearl is losing her mind. It's hilarious" Amethyst said laughing before walking away motioning him to follow her. 

Steven walked behind her with his head down and his hands bunched together in front of him. Why couldn't he bring himself to fully attack the hum- Connie. Was there something wrong with him? No. His powers are just fine. Maybe he was just hungry. He did only have one sandwich today. Yeah that must be it. Nothing else could explain it. 

As the idea of her coming back and showing him this town that he has never seen before, his excitement slowly turned to dread. Yeah Connie was nice, but what if the other humans were just like what the gems said they were like. He would need to be prepared to protect himself and possibly Connie. If the humans were anything like the gems said, then Connie would probably not be able to defend herself against them because she's so nice. Once inside the temple he decided to crawl into bed. Hopefully he will wake up in enough time to go with Connie in the morning. He stared at the ceiling above him. His room was bare. Just a bed, a pillow and a blanket. He didn't mind though he didn't need much. It took a few moments but he finally managed to go to sleep. 


	3. Two donuts please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven explore Beach City

As Connie promised, she was back in the morning. As she approached the fence she noticed Steven was already waiting for her. 

"How long have you been waiting for me?" She asked

"2 hours" he answered. He's really been sitting there for 2 hours? Doesn't he get bored? 

"Oh well we should get going then," she said. At that Steven climbed the fence and hopped down beside her. Walking away from the fence, the town started coming into view. The closest buildings were some franchises. Connie looked beside her to see Steven looked both excited and uncomfortable. 

"What's wrong Steven?" She asked. He looked so excited yesterday and he still does, but it is also tainted by this look of pure fear. 

"I'm fine, I just… never seen so many humans in one place…" he said. He stood close to her like he was afraid of what will happen if he lost her. 

"How come you've never explored the town?" She asked. Why was he so isolated? Who would be so cruel as to isolate a young boy from his own kind? She needed to stop asking herself those questions. If he wants to tell her he can. 

"Because I'm not supposed to." He said simply. Ok that raised only more questions. 

"Ok…. Well is there anything you want to do?" She asked changing the subject. 

"Um… well what do humans usually do?" He asked. 

"Well we do a lot of things…. I guess we can go to one of the establishments nearby." She said looking around. Her eyes stopped on a building with a giant donut on top.

"Hey look! Let's go check out the Big Donut. I hear they have the best donuts in town" Connie said dragging Steven towards the building. She chose it because she noticed for most of the day, the building is empty save for the 2 employees who seemed to be the only ones that work there. She thought that since he was so nervous about other people, then it would be best to have him socialize with just 2 at first. 

Walking inside Steven seemed to be put on high alert. He grabbed her arm and held it tight while staring directly at the two people who worked there with wide eyes. 

"Be careful Connie, they could be dangerous," he whispered to her. Is that what he was so worried about? All she could do was snort and giggle. 

"Don't worry Steven I'm sure they are of no harm. Besides, even if they are there are security cameras. We are safe." She reassured him. She wasn't too sure that worked completely though as he still stared right at them, but his grip on her lessened. 

The blond lady at the counter seemed to have finally noticed them as she jumped a little before smiling an awkward smile.

"Oh hi, welcome to the Big Donut, what can I get you?" She said when they approached the counter. Connie smiled at her but Steven just continued to stare. 

"Oh well, what do you offer?" She asked. She wasn't quite sure what kind of donuts Steven would like, if he'd want any at all based on how he is acting right now. 

"Oh, we have some plain chocolate donuts, some donut holes and a few sprinkles." She said smiling. 

"Oh well can I have just a plain chocolate. Steven what would you like?" She asked him but he didn't respond. Just continued to stare at the lady at the counter. A minute passed before Connie turned to the lady at the counter and laughed nervously. 

"Sorry he can get a little shy, how about just 2 plain chocolates for the both of us?" She asked. 

"Oh yes of course. I can get a little tongue tied as well when ordering, I completely understand. Hey Lars can you get me two plain donuts?" She asked her co-worker who was currently sleeping at the counter. He opened his eyes a little before groaning. 

"I was sleeping Sadie! why couldn't you get them?" He argued

"Because you're in the way! I can't get by you!" She argued back. This turned into a full argument session and as it continued Steven's grip got tighter and tighter like he was expecting something bad to happen. One of his hands was over his stomach but she didn't understand why. 

"They're just a couple of kids! It's not like it's the mayor or something ordering!" Lars argued. Steven's face seemed to contort into something worse. 

"Do not underestimate me, human. My body may only be a couple of years old, but my gem has an age beyond your comprehension" this statement seemed to stop the argument in its tracks as Sadie, Lars and Connie looked at him with wide eyes. 

At this Lars just bent down still looking at him, picked up two donuts and just dropped them in a bag before handing them to Sadie who put it on the counter. Connie seemed to snap out of the trance quickly as she grabbed the donuts and put 10 dollars on the table. 

"Keep the change" she said quickly before grabbing Steven and dragging him out of the building. After being a few feet away she turned to him with a stern look. 

"Ok Steven, what was that?" She asked, upset. He seemed very confused by this reaction. 

"He underestimated me," he said simply.

"He didn't underestimate you Steven. What is wrong with you. This whole time you've been acting so strange." She said this maybe a little too loud. His confusion turned to fury before responding. 

"Well excuse me if I was trying to protect us." He said. The venom was back in his voice like the night before. 

"Protect us from what? They weren't going to do anything!" She yelled this. 

"How do you know that!" He yelled back at her. 

"Ugh, why are you being so paranoid! No one here is dangerous!" She yelled. She was going to continue when she noticed the hot tears running down his face. 

"How am I supposed to know! I'm not like you, I've never been around humans like you!" He yelled. The tears were coming down fast and she felt awful about yelling at him. A few minutes passed as he continued to cry in front of her. She looked at the ground before looking at him. 

"Why haven't you met other people before?" She asked calmly. She needed answers if they wanted to continue exploring the town. He was still crying but he opened his eyes to look at her. 

"Because…. The gems said that humans are bad…. But the humans here don't seem bad…. I don't know what to think… I'm so confused…" he whimpered. He hid his face with his hands. 

Instead of responding Connie just grabbed him by the shoulders before hugging him. He seemed to tense before melting into her. It took a few minutes but his crying seemed to slow down. 

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't realize just how confused you would be about everything. And why wouldn't you be. I would be confused too. I'm sorry I didn't take your feelings into consideration Steven." She said feeling guilty. There was a second of silence before Steven responded. 

"It's ok… I'm sorry if I embarrassed you.." Steven said. 

"You don't need to apologize Steven, you don't have anything to be sorry for." She said. She pulled him off of her before looking at him and smiling. At this Steven smiles back. Connie was surprised. This was the first time she has seen him smile. 

"You want to continue to explore or go back to the beach?" Connie asked.

"Can we go back to the beach? I've had enough adventure for one day and I think Pearl might be worried about me." He said. She just nodded her head in understanding. Pearl must be one of the gems he mentioned. She hopes this pearl is treating him well.


	4. A pet for your tummy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes a mistake. But then it turns into a not mistake.

The walk back to the beach was quiet and peaceful. Seagulls squawked in the distance. A large worm-like thing is coming right at them. Yup quiet and peac- 

Wait a giant worm! 

"What is that!" Connie yelled pointing at the monster. They both looked over with wide eyes. Quickly Steven shoved Connie down and moved her out of the way. Then a bright light shone from his stomach and out came the same blade from the night before and a beautiful matching shield. Connie was shocked but that was quickly over as the monster got closer. 

"Wait Steven be careful!" She yelled. Steven just looked over at her. He had the same look he had the night before. 

"Stay low Connie, I've got this," he said 

"This isn't the first time I've fought one of these." He added before running towards the monster. 

"Wait-" she said before being cut off as Steven took his blade and swiped at the monster. It tried to rush him but it was blocked by his shield before he slashed at the monster again, this time splitting it in half. It exploded In a gust of wind. In his hand he held a gem of some sort. A pink bubble in cased the gem and he tapped it once, sending it away. Afterwards, Steven picked Connie off the ground and looked at her sheepishly. 

"Sorry, I've been waiting for that guy to come out of the ocean for weeks." He said 

"Is that why I saw you watching the ocean so intensely?" She asked. 

"Yeah, I probably should have told you that…" he said looking to the side like he was embarrassed. 

"Hey I thought that was incredible! You looked so cool fighting that thing" she said. Her eyes were sparkling. He smiled at her warmly. Connie's glad to see him warming up to her. 

"Thank you," Steven said before continuing to walk like they had before. Once reaching the fence he climbed over before looking at Connie. 

"Thank you for showing me a little of the town Connie. I had a lot of fun." He said again, smiling warmly at her. She smiled back. 

"No problem. I would love to do this again sometime." Connie said. 

"We should but i would also like to explore the town a little by myself as well." He responded

"I understand. See you next time Steven, bye." She said before turning and walking. 

"Bye Connie!' he yelled his goodbye with a wave before walking off. 

The walk to the temple wasn't long but once inside things got messy. 

"Steven!" A tall lengthy gem yelped before running over to him. She had a pink old timey jacket with a blue under shirt, a blue skirt and a see through neck piece. She had pink flats on and her spiky hair was tied into a short ponytail she had a white gem on her forehead. 

"Calm down P, he wasn't gone that long." Amethyst said stuffing her face. 

A tall dark bulky gem came close to him and patted his head. She had a red and blue finish all over with golden sunglasses. Her hair was an almost black color in a boxy style. 

"Welcome back Steven." She said calmly before walking back to the kitchen. 

"We were worried sick about you Steven!" The lengthy one said. 

"It's fine Pearl nothing bad happened." He said, trying to ease her. 

"Are you sure, Garnet saw you retrieving a gem and oh I hope you not hurt!" Pearl fretted. 

"Yes I'm sure. It was just a gem monster. I've gone on solo missions before." He said. 

"Yes well… you never know. We wouldn't want you getting hurt. Or worse it breaking the fence and a human wandering through." She said. Steven internally flinched at that last comment. 

"Steven, if you ever see a human come get us and we'll deal with them." Garnet said simply. Didn't she already know he was hanging out with a human though? She has future vision. Is she holding back?

"Ok I will." Steven said. 

"Oh Steven, I almost forgot. We were going to ask if you'd come along on a mission with us. We saw some activity up north and we need to go check it out" pearl said getting up off the ground. Steven pondered this before shaking his head. 

"I think I'll leave this one to you guys this time" he said calmly. 

"Are you sure Steven?" Pearl asked. 

"Yeah I'm sure Pearl," Steven said. 

"Oh… k," she said. All three of them walked to the warp pad before waving to Steven. They said their goodbyes before leaving. 

Steven wondered what kind of things normal humans his age did. Normally he would just patrol the beach or go on missions. But today he wanted to do neither. 

He decided he wanted to go back into town. But Connie wasn't here. She already left. Mostly like with her 'parents'. That means he would have to go by himself. He could feel butterflies in his stomach just thinking about it but he needs to face his fears head on if he is going to get anywhere. 

Walking to the fence was the easy part. Getting over the fence was the hard part. Ok well literally getting over it was very easy. It was the courage to do so that was hard. He decided to just swallow his pride and do it. Now over the fence he could hear his heart beat in his ear. He was nervous. Beyond nervous. He didn't know where to go. He decided to just go to the Big donut like he did today with Connie. Maybe talk to the people there? What were their names again? Sadie and Lars right? He hoped he was right. Once at the big donut he realized his dilemma. He embarrassed Connie big time. What if they don't want him in here. What if they kick him out. What if they try to run him out of town. 

His face was pressed hard on the front door of the building at this point. Behind him he could hear the sound of something. Suddenly the front door in front of him moved. He looked up to see a tall man in business attire. 

"If you are going to stare creepily into buildings do so not in front of the door. " He said sharply before walking in. The door shut in front of him and he could see the man ordering some donuts. Though he could see the tall orange man looking and pointing at him while talking to the blond lady. He thinks the orange man is Lars and the blond lady is Sadie. They were talking about him. His face turned into a big frown and Sadie must have noticed because she signaled to Lars to deal with the tall man before walking away from the counter and towards the door. Steven panicked quickly getting away from the door and pressed himself against the window beside it. Sadie opened the door and he shut his eyes hoping she wouldn't see him. 

"Hey you're Steven right?" She asked. Yup she noticed him. He looked at her with complete fear in his eyes. He shouldn't have tried to explore on his own. He felt like the world was closing in on him. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder. 

"Hey it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you. Why don't you come inside." She said sweetly. Sadie was so nice. And so was Connie. And Lars he thinks. Everything was so confusing. He followed her into the building before she hoped behind the counter. 

"Lars are you done with Mayor Dewey's order?" Sadie asked. 

"Yeah he's over there getting coffee" Lars said before bending down to get closer. 

"Why did you bring him in here?" He said. Steven heard that and he looked about ready to cry. 

"Hey stop being mean to the kid. He looks like he is having a panic attack." Sadie whispered. She turned to Steven with a sweet smile. 

"Sorry about him Steven. Would you like me to get you something? It'll be my treat since you're new here." Sadie said warmly. Steven looked at her for a second before looking away. He bent his head down and held his arms around his body. 

"Steven?" She asked. Maybe he really was shy like Connie said before. Though this time it looks like actual shyness. 

"Hey you know what I think I know exactly what to get you, hold on" she said this before turning around and going to the back. She was in the back freezer when she heard some noise up front. Grabbing what she wanted she quickly ran to the front. There was a table flipped over and chairs scattered about. Mayor Dewey was still at the coffee machine but was looking at her wide eyed. Lars was at the counter also looking wide eyed. 

She looked behind the table to see Steven curled up behind in a fetal position. She touched his shoulder like she did outside. He looked up at her and he was crying. She felt bad for the little guy. Something about him just makes her feel bad for him. She did what she thought was best and picked him off the ground before turning and glaring at lars. 

"What did you do?" She accused him. He looked at her with pure shock. 

"I didn't do anything!" Lars defended. 

"Well obviously you did if he's like this!" She yelled at him. She just turned to Steven before smiling at him while holding him. 

"Did Lars do anything to you Steven." She asked. He looked before responding. 

"No…. I just don't like how he talked about me…" he said quietly. She shook her head before turning her head to look at Lars. 

"See what did i tell you about being mean to him." She said before getting off the ground and lifting Steven up with her.

"Here buddy I got something for you," she said handing him a rapper. It had a sort of face of an animal on it but he didn't quite know what kind it was. It was dark brown with a big smile that was white and pink. 

"It's a Cookie Cat ice cream bar. They stopped making these a while ago but we still have some in the far back. I thought you'd like it" she said warmly. He looked at the rapper before tearing it off to reveal a cold ice cream sandwich. He looked at it with stars in his eyes. He just stared at it for a few seconds before biting down on one of the ears. His face lit up from the taste and he looked up at Sadie. 

"It's delicious…." He said with a look of wonder. She smiled at him warmly and he smiled back at her to her surprise. He smiled more as he ate more of the sandwich. 

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying it." She said before ruffling his hair. Even though she just met him today. And their first encounter wasn't the best. She felt there was something truly special about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our baby boy is having a real hard time ajusting.


	5. What's a dad?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a weird dream

_ "Are you guys really sure this is the best for him?" The man said in front of him. His hair was long but he was bald on top. From Steven's position on the couch he looked very concerned as he talked with the gems in front of him. He looked down to look at his tiny body. He had an oversized shirt on with pants. He held a stuffed rabbit in his arms. He looked at the adults in front of him as they talked.  _

_ "Yes of course. It's what Rose would have wanted. He needs to know what it means to be a gem. Not to get caught up with these silly human traditions of yours." Pearl said, waving her hand dismissively.  _

_ "Pearl is right. This is the best situation for him." Garnet said. This still didn't seem to ease the man.  _

_"Ok but what if Steven needs food or needs some new clothes" he asked._

_ "Listen Greg we got this all under control. When he needs those things you can come over and drop them off. It's best if you don't come around often though. It's for the sake of Steven and his training." Pearl said. Greg had a look of defeat on his face.  _

_ "Yes I supposed you would know what is best for Steven, him being a gem and all… ok I'll let you guys take over" after that, he turned and walked towards Steven.  _

_ "Hey scuball, daddy won't be around for a while so the gems will be taking care of you, ok?" He said looking at him kindly. Steven looked at him for a moment before responding.  _

_ "Why is daddy going away?" He asked this so innocently. His voice was small and high pitched. Greg was going to miss hearing that voice.  _

_ "So that the gems can properly teach you. It's for the best bud. Just know that daddy will always love you" at this Greg kissed his forehead before getting up and heading towards the door. Greg looked back at Steven. He had a sad look in his eyes. Like what he was doing wasn't something that he wanted to do. But he had no choice in the matter. He looked away before leaving out the door.  _

  
  
  
Steven woke with a start. He stared wide eyes up at the ceiling above him. He hasn't had that dream since he was five. And even then the dream always stopped at pearl saying 'it's for the sake of Steven and his training' why did it suddenly come up now and why was it longer.

'Why did I call Greg daddy?' He thought. Greg was nice, he guessed. He really was the only human he knew before Connie. He would always bring over food and clothes but then leave. He would always look at Steven with this sad look before leaving. Then the gems would mutter on how they were glad he was gone. 

Steven never took into account that Greg was a good person. Not until Connie. 

Why did he call him daddy? The same question ran through Steven's head all day. Today Connie came over by the fence and took Steven to this pizza place called Fish Stew Pizza. He made sure to be on his best behavior. He felt more comfortable when Connie was around but he still wasn't able to talk to the people. This girl named Kiki took their order. She was nice but Connie did all the talking. 

Why did he call him daddy? This question was starting to bother Steven. Even as he bit down on the pizza slice Connie handed him he still had this look of annoyance on his face. Connie was concerned. Usually he at least talked to her a little. But today he just didn't talk. 

"Steven? Are you ok?" She asked. He had a look of surprise on his face before looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

"I'm fine Connie.." he said quietly. 

"Steven I know you're not fine, it's written all over your face. What's wrong?" Connie asked again. She was really worried about him. Steven looked away before looking back at her. 

"Connie…. What's a daddy?" He asked. Connie was surprised by his question. She didn't even know he knew what that word was. 

"Well they are one half of your parents. Sometimes with some parents there are none and for some, there are only or more of them. In my case I only have one along with a mom. Why do you ask?" Connie said. She really didn't know how to answer that question because some people didn't even have dads. She thought Steven didn't have one either since he never mentioned having one until now. 

"I had a dream last night where I called Greg Daddy." He said. 

"Greg?" Connie asked. 

"He's the man who always brings me food and clothes. The gems don't allow him over much." Steven said. So he wasn't an orphan. Well that was a relief she guessed. But why would the gems not want Greg to see his own son. 

"Have you tried talking to him?" Connie asked. 

"No the gems didn't want me talking to him.." Steven said. 

"Well why don't you try talking to him now that you have come into town?" Connie asked. 

"I never really thought about it until now.." Steven mumbled. 

"It's fine. Hey do you want to go to Funland after this? I don't think I've taken you there yet." She asked him. She thought it would be nice to get his mind off this dad thing. Steven's face lit up and he shook his head up and down fast. Connie laughed at this before getting up. They put the rest of their pizza in a left overs box. Connie was glad that Steven was opening up more even if he still has a hard time talking to others besides herself. When they arrived at Funland she saw Steven's face went from excitement to dread quickly. She just placed a hand on his shoulder reassuring him before walking. They went to one of the big rides there. In front stood a bulky dark skinned man with a huge smile. 

"Hey there kids, you want to have a go at this ride?" He asked. 

"No thanks Mr. Smiley, I'm just showing Steven around." Connie explained. 

Mr. Smiley bent down to Steven's level. 

"Well it's nice to meet you Steven." Mr. Smiley said while pointing his hand at him. Steven just looked at his hand before looking at him. 

"Why is your smile so creepy?" Steven asked. Mr. Smiley's smile went to a look of confusion. 

"Creepy?" He said before getting up and walking away muttering to himself. Connie crossed her arms and pouted. 

"That wasn't nice Steven, he was just trying to shake your hand." She scolded. 

"I didn't know that. He creeped me out." He said. It was clear that Steven did not fully understand what he said. Connie sighed before shaking her head. 

"It's fine just don't do that again ok?" Connie asked. Steven looked at the ground before shaking his head. At least he understood what he did was wrong. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful. They went to the arcade and played some games. The bright lights made Steven's eyes hurt a little. It was nightfall before they made it back to the fence. 

"Thanks for taking me around town again Connie." Steven said. 

"Your welcome. I thought it was fun. You want to do this again tomorrow?" Connie asked. 

"I'll have to wait and see." Steven replied. 

"Ok. Bye Steven." She said before waving a walking away. 

"Bye Connie." Instead of climbing over the fence like he would any other night. He waited until Connie was out of sight before walking away from the fence. 

Steven had to find Greg. It shouldn't take too long as he remembers what Van he drives. He always drives it when he comes over. He wandered the town. It was dark and he couldn't see well. Suddenly he comes across a building. It had bright white lights coming from inside and outside was parked. 

Greg's Van! He found it. He ran up to the van and looked inside the windows. He could see Greg sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the Van. And ran inside the building and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. 

The front window was open so he would be able to climb in and drop a note. 

Outside the van Steven scribbled something quickly on the note. His handwriting wasn't the best but Connie has been helping him with it. 

Climbing through the open window he sat down on the front chair. He slowly inched forward before placing the note on Greg's face. He climbed out the window before leaving back towards the fence. 

The next morning Greg opened his eyes to find a piece of folded paper on his face. He picked it up to look at it. On the front it said

'to daddy' Greg opened the note to find more. 

'com visit me. I mis you. Stevn' Greg stared at the note for a minute before smiling. Tears pricking his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss spelled Steven's note on purpose. He can barely read. 
> 
> Out boy needs serious help. 
> 
> Also in case anyone was wondering. Steven was 3 in the dream.


	6. Not everything is so black and white

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a deep dark secret

Amethyst watched from the kitchen as Steven once again said no to going on a mission with pearl. 

Steven has been acting weird. Something about his behavior says 'hi I'm Steven and I'm holding a deep dark secret'. It was funny at first but now it kinda annoyed her. Pearl and Garnet never said anything about it and neither did she. She has her own secrets after all. She shouldn't snoop into his. 

Yeah she was definitely going to Snoop. Steven is really out here thinking he can just hide things from his favorite purple gem. Well he thought wrong. 

Pearl was going on a solo mission so she had the day to herself. And what better way to spend it than stalking Steven to find out what he's hiding. 

She was a few steps behind him. Hiding as a seagull. She watched him walk on the beach completely ignoring everything around him. 

She's watched Steven from time to time. Usually when he was on one of his little patrols he would look around intensely studying everything. He was doing none of that. Obviously that meant he was not patrolling like he said he would and was rather going to a specific location. 

She followed him as he got closer to the fence she and pearl built to keep the humans out. Then she saw her. 

"Hi Steven!" She called out to Steven with a smile while waving. Amethyst watched as Steven returned the gesture. 

"Hi Connie!" He sounded so happy. So this was the big secret he was keeping. A human friend. To be completely honest. She was ok with it. She was a little weary. Maybe Pearl got to her or something. But Connie obviously had no ill intent for Steven. Amethyst came out of her bird form and hid behind the rocks. She watched as Steven climbed the fence she and Pearl built and followed Connie into town. 

Once they were gone she started laughing. She was right! She was completely and totally right and Pearl and Garnet will be sorry for doubting her. She can still remember the conversation she and the others had when Steven was little. 

_ It was just before Greg came over with steven.  _

_ "I still don't understand why we have to build this stupid fence!" Amethyst whined at Pearl.  _

_ "I've already told you Amethyst it's to keep Steven here and the humans out there." Pearl said that like she was stupid. She wasn't stupid but the fence was.  _

_ "It's for Steven's safety," Garnet said. She said this with no emotion in her voice.  _

_ "Yeah I get that, but what is so dangerous out there anyway? I've seen the people. They seem pretty chill to me." Amethyst said. _

_ "Listen, all that matters is that we never let another human near him. It's too risky and could distract him from his training." Pearl said. Amethyst just crossed her arms. _

_ "Fine I guess…." Amethyst said before leaving to her room. She didn't like the idea of keeping Steven away from a part of his life. Something about this whole ordeal just seems wrong to her. Rose always talked about how excited she was that she was having a human child. Now it seems like they don't want him to be human at all. But Pearl said that this is what Rose asked her to do before Steven was born. But whatever. What's done is done and there is nothing she can do about it. _

She would rub it in Pearl's face, but she got the feeling Steven wouldn't enjoy her finding out he has a human friend. She would just wait until he got back.

Steven and Connie decided once again to go to the Big Donut. For some reason Steven really likes Sadie. Connie doesn't exactly know how but she is glad that there is at least someone else in the town besides her that he wants to talk to as he usually just ignores others or says something rude on accident.

"Sadie!" Steven yelled in delight once in the building. She was stocking some more donuts and she yelped out of shock before smiling and waving. 

"Oh hey Steven! You scared me a little there." Sadie said.

"Sadie Guess what" Steven said bouncing on his heels with his hands on the counter. Connie was giggling beside him because of how childish he was. 

"What Steven?" Sadie asked. 

"It's been 2 weeks since I've been in town! Connie has been teaching to read!" Steven said happily while also taking out a note in his back pocket which had a poorly written "Cony and Sady r te bess" on it.

"Aww Steven this is really cute. I'm glad you've been here for 2 weeks." Sadie said smiling

"Thank you, I'm so glad Connie hopped my fence!" Steven said happily. Connie blushed a little embarrassed. 

"Steven, that was really embarrassing," Connie said. 

"Oh sorry connie," Steven apologized. 

"It's alright. We should probably let sadie get back to work. Bye Sadie." Connie said, taking Steven by the hand and walking out the door waving. 

They walked around town for a while before Connie took Steven back down to the fence. They were walking when Steven suddenly stopped. Connie looked at him a little confused. He looked like he saw a ghost. 

"Steven? Are you ok?" Connie asked. He slowly lifted his finger to point at the fence. She turned towards the fence to see a purple woman standing there with a smirk on the fence. She jumped over the fence and walked towards them. 

"'sup," she said simply. Steven looked like his face was going to implode. 

"Uh… hi?" Connie didn't know what to do. 

"Your Connie right?" Amethyst asked. 

"Uh yeah?" Connie said before bending over to Steven and whispering to him. 

"Steven, you didn't tell me you told your gem friends about me." Connie whispered. Steven didn't respond because his face was frozen from shock. Amethyst heard what she said.

"Nah I just followed him here." Amethyst said nonchalantly. 

"WHAT!" Steven yelled at the top of his longs. He looked about ready to cry and he grabbed his hair. 

"Hey hey wait Steven it's fine" Connie said trying to calm him down a little. 

"Yeah dude. Don't worry I won't tell the others." Amethyst said. This seemed to calm Steven greatly as he quickly went from panic to relief. 

"Thank you thank you thank you Amethyst!" He yelled happily grabbing Amethyst and jumping up and down. Amethyst stopped him laughing. 

"No problem dude. I don't see a problem with this" she said. She was fine with this. As long as Steven was happy she would stand by him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shorter than I usually do but I still like this chapter. I see Steven gets cuter every day.


	7. To Connie's house we go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven learns the meaning of sleepovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to warn people that abuse and CPS are mentioned in this chapter. If that upsets anyone I suggest you don't read this chapter. There is no actual violence but if these are just trigger words in general do not read this specific chapter.

Steven stuffed a lot of things in his backpack. It was one that Gre- dad gave him a while back in the shape of a hamburger. Amethyst sat next to him eating tubs of something. 

"Bro why do you have so much stuff? I swear it feels like Greg gets you too many things" she complained. There was still a lot of stuff on his bed that he hasn't packed. 

"I don't know. I like all my stuff. It makes me feel good." He said still stuffing things in his bag. If Pearl was here she would have neatly folded everything and neatly stacked the stuff in his bag. But of course she can't because he can't have her asking where he is going to need so many things. 

"I don't know why you need all this stuff. You're only staying at Connie's house for a day. It's like your packing for a weeks worth of 'sleepover'" Amethyst said putting air quotes around sleepover. He doesn't fully understand what a sleepover is either. Based off what Connie told him, you barely sleep at all which only makes the name even more confusing. Why call it a sleepover when you barely sleep. It makes no logical sense but that may just be what being human is. Making no logical sense. Which he guessed is fine since him just existing makes no logical sense.

"Well Connie said her parents are extremely strict, so I want to be as prepared as possible." Steven said while putting even more stuff in his back. 

"Pfft, bet they're not as strict as Pearl. I swear she needs to stop getting on my case all the time." Amethyst complained while finishing her last tube of something. 

"I don't know Amethyst. I hear they are super duper strict. I don't even know what duper means but it doesn't sound good." He said with his eyebrows all scrunched up with worry. Amethyst just placed a hand on his shoulder for reassurance. 

"Don't worry buddy. If they try anything just call for your favorite purple gem Amethyst and I'll be there in a jiffy to beat 'em up. K?" Amethyst said raising her arm up in a power stance. Steven laughed at this while putting the last of his things in his bag. He slung his bag over his shoulders before leaving out the front door with Amethyst. Amethyst was dropping him off at his dad's van and then he would drive him to Connie's house. They got over the fence easily and walked in the direction of it's a wash. 

"I swear we need to get rid of that fence. I'm tired of jumping over it just so we can go do stuff with Connie." Amethyst complained. 

"Yeah but then Pearl and Garnet would notice and my cover will be over." Steven said. 

"Yeah true. Pearl will have me by the neck if she found out I already know." Amethyst laughed. Steven liked how it was Amethyst who found his secret. He always felt she was always more open to new things than the others even if it isn't by a lot. 

Once near the It's a wash shop they could see dad sitting outside washing his van down whistling. His eyes were close so he didn't notice them arrive. Steven tugged on his arm until he noticed he was there. He let out a noise of surprise before settling down with a sigh of relief. 

"Oh sorry Steven didn't realize you were there." He apologized. 

"It's alright Dad. Amethyst is just dropping me off so we can go to Connie's" Steven explained. 

"Oh that's right. I completely forgot we talked about that yesterday. You have her address right?" Dad asked. Steven just gave him a blank look. It was the same one he gave Connie the other day when she told him her address. He just couldn't wrap his head around houses having specific numbers assigned to them. 

"I think she gave him a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers on it." Amethyst said. At that Steven took out a crumpled piece of scrap paper out of his pocket and handed it to dad. 

"Ah yup, that's an address alright." Dad said holding it up high before putting it in his own pocket. He ruffled Steven's head lightly. 

"Alright buckaroo let's get going. Amethyst are you coming with?" He asked. 

"Nah, this is just a Steven and Connie thing." Amethyst said. 

"Oh alright. Ok Steven let's go." Dad said. They hopped into the van and drove off with Amethyst waving in the distance. The car ride was peaceful. Dad put in one of his CDs. Apparently he was a singer 'back in the day'. Steven doesn't know what back in the day means but Dad said it was a long time ago. It must be some weird time measurement. Either way he loved the CD. It sounded great. It sounded like something the gems would do sometimes just with music. Dad was even teaching him how to play this really small instrument that he forgot the name of. He thinks he is getting pretty good at playing it. 

They drove up to the address Connie gave him and hopped out of the van. Steven was really nervous. Dad rang the doorbell and what Steven could only assume was Connie's parents opened the door.

They looked a little like her but bigger. 

"Hello I'm Greg Universe it's a pleasure to meet you" dad introduced himself. 

"This is my son Steven. I'm sure Connie told you about him yes?" Dad asked. 

"Yes she has told us all about him." The lady said. Connie told him she was a doctor but he didn't know what that was. She looked back into the house before yelling.

"Connie! Your Steven Universe friend is here!" She yelled out. Steven could hear footsteps running down what he could only assume were stairs before Connie was at the front door. 

"Steven! You're here!" She squealed with delight. Steven's mood immediately went up as he smiled brightly. 

"Connie!" He squealed back. Dad laughed before bending down to his level. 

"Ok Scuball, have fun. You brought everything you need right?" Dad asked. Steven shook his head vigorously. Dad smiled at him before waving goodbye and leaving. Connie immediately grabbed his hand and dragged him into her house. Her house was pretty. She had flowers on the walls and couches. 

"I'm so excited! We can eat dinner together and watch some movies." Connie said. 

"I can't wait! What are movies anyway?" Steven asked. 

"They are these moving pictures that are a form of entertainment." She explained. The lady cleared her throat. 

"You better not stay up to late young lady." She said.

"Of course not Mom. We'll just watch a couple of movies and be in bed by nine." Connie said while Steven shook his head up and down. 

The rest of the evening was a lot of fun. After dinner they watched this movie called 'dogcopter' or something like that. Connie noticed throughout the evening her parents faces got more scrunched up with this worried look. Soon after the movie Steven was sleeping on the couch. Connie got up to look for her parents to say goodnight as they had went into the kitchen. She paused at the doorway however when she heard them talking. 

"I just don't know Doug. He's never seen a movie before. Didn't know what a TV was. Based off what Connie has told us it's like he is completely isolated." Her mother said. 

"I know Priyanka it worries me too but I still don't think we should call CPS we don't know the full story," her father said back. They were talking about Steven. Does her mother really think that CPS should get involved? It's been something she has been thinking about too, but Steven always talks about how great the gems are and Amethyst is really nice. 

"But what if he's getting abused at home. What if isolation is just the first step. You've seen how uncomfortable he looked when he walked in here." Her mother said. She was clearly very upset over this. 

"I didn't see any scars on him, and he seemed very happy once Connie greeted him. On the plus side his father is very friendly." Her father said. 

"I still think we should call just to be sure." Her mother said. 

"Well I think we should wait and see." Her father said. At this Connie decided to let herself be known by stepping in and clearing her throat. They both turned to her with wide eyes. 

"Oh Connie. Didn't see you there." Her mother said. 

"Your not really thinking of calling CPS are you?" She asked. She didn't know what would happen if CPS was called. Steven was always worried about the other gems finding out he was hanging out with humans. Her mother sighed. 

"We don't know Connie. We are very worried," she said. 

"But he has a good family. I met his dad and his friend Amethyst. They are both good people." Connie defended. 

"Well we don't know that. And that didn't you mention that he has 3 guardians not including his father. Why haven't you met his other friends." Her mother questioned. 

"We are just very worried honey," her father said. 

"You don't need to be," a voice said from behind her. Connie looked behind her to see Steven standing there. His eyes are a little red from just having woken up. 

"Everything is ok. My family is of no harm to me and I don't need you to think I am being harmed." Steven said before yawning. 

"You humans worry too much." He said simply. Connie giggled at him. 

"Steven your human. Also, weren't you the one who told me Pearl was a worry wart?" She said giggling lightly. His face scrunched up. 

"That doesn't count." He said crossing his arms in mock anger before laughing with Connie. Connie's parents look at each other before seeming to relax a little. Connie said goodnight to them at least before Steven and her went to sleep. It was a fun sleepover even without that last bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting this as soon as the other ones. I have been really thinking about where to take this this story as I realized I haven't really planned anything past lapis. 
> 
> I have a new plan. Pretty much everything after lapis stays almost exactly the same with some minor differences. 
> 
> I was thinking after this story I could make a second story filled with a bunch of one shots were I can write you guys' suggestions. 
> 
> Anyway I'm done with my rambling for now. Goodbye


	8. Mother dearest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a pet lion.

Connie stood with Steven with her mouth wide open. There stood in front of her a giant pink lion. Her and Steven were just making sand castles, more like Connie showing Steven how to make a sand castle, when this pink lion just came out of nowhere and knocked down Steven's sandcastle. Instead of being afraid or fighting the thing. He just put his hands on his hips and scrunched his eyebrows. 

"Lion that was rude. I didn't knock down your fort made of sand." He scolded. The Lion, or rather just Lion as that seems to be his name, just yawned and fall down on his side with a sigh. Steven sighed before turning to Connie. 

"Sorry Connie. Lion doesn't have any restraint" he said. Connie just looked at him in shock. 

"You have a pet lion!" She yelled. She honestly had no idea he even knew what a lion was, let alone have one as a pet. Steven looked confused about her reaction. 

"Uh yeah. Is that bad?" Steven asked. 

"I-" it was a fair question. Who is to say owning a lion as a pet is a bad thing. Besides this lion seems to be tame. For the most part. 

"I do not know." She truly did not know the answer to that. 

"Then what is the issue?" He asked. 

"Well… it's a lion!" She tried to argue but it fell short. Steven was giving her a strange look. She sighed before sitting on the ground in defeat. Steven sat down with her and put his hand on her shoulder. 

"Well lion is kinda a gem thing. I guess it would be alarming. But lion isn't bad. Even if he is lazy." He laughed at that last bit. She laughed too. 

"Well if he's a gem thing what does he do?" She asked. He put his hand under his chin thinking for a moment. 

"Well sometimes he would take me places. I can also store things in his mane." He asked. 

"Ooh what kind of things?" Connie asked. 

"Well I don't really have anything in there but, there are some things left in there by Rose." He said. Connie tilted her head to the side. 

"Who's rose?" She asked. Never had he mentioned anyone by the name of Rose before this moment. He had a look that said he might have messed up before looking away. 

"Oh…. Well she kinda became me….. I have her gem." He said lifting his shirt to show his gem. 

"The gems don't really like me talking about her though…" he added. Connie had a look of understanding before talking. 

"Well… what kind of things are in there?" She asked. 

"A shirt, a flag, a chest and a box." He said. The last part intrigued her. She knew what the others were but just a random box? Now that had to be interesting. 

"Can you show me the box?" She asked. He shook his head before sticking his hand into Lion's mane. It flowed for a minute before Steven took out a small box. Or well rather not a box. Yes it was in the shape of a box but it definitely wasn't just a box. It had the words 'to Steven' written on the top of it. Who ever this Rose was clearly knew how to write. And even made something for Steven. 

"Steven…That's not a box," she said. Steven tilted his head to said in confusion. 

"What is it then?" He asked. 

"I think it's a VHS tape. It's kinda like the pre version of CDs." She explained. Steven brought the VHS tape up to his face while squinting his eyes. 

"Can it play Dogcopter?" He asked. 

"Hmm probably but you'd need to over tape the video it already has. I think it's homemade." She said. He looked down at the VHS tape again before looking at her. 

"I think it's too big for one of those box things you put CDs in," he said. 

"Yeah we will need to put it in something that can play a VHS. I don't know anyone who has one though," she said. Steven put his hand on his chin thinking for a moment before getting an idea. 

"Maybe Sadie knows! She's so smart I bet she would know where one was!" He said excitedly. He was already bouncing on his feet at the idea of seeing Sadie again. Connie giggled. 

"Yeah it wouldn't be so bad to ask her." She said. Steven threw his hands in the here in excitement before grabbing her hand and running across the beach towards the big donut. It looked like Steven was just excited to see Sadie more than what was in the VHS tape. Once there they threw open the doors. 

"Sadie!" Connie and Steven said at the same time. Sadie jumped from her spot at the counter as well as making Lars jump from his slumber. 

"Steven, Connie. What brings you guys here today?" She asked. Steven held up the VHS tape to her face from the counter. 

"Do you have something that can play this?" Steven asked. Sadie took a look at the VHS then thought for a moment. 

"Well we have one in the break room." She replied. Steven's face lit up. 

"Can we watch it in there," Steven asked. 

"Woah woah wait, Sadie it's almost opening time. Can't this wait?" Lars asked. 

"No it can't. It's a matter of life or death." Steven said overdramatically. 

"Well not really but that's how it feels like," he added. Sadie sighed at his antics. 

"It's just one videotape Lars and I'm sure you'll be fine opening up on your own," she said. 

"Come along kids," she said to Connie and Steven waving to them to follow her. They excitedly followed her to the break room. Sadie pulled out three chairs for them and rolled out a box TV. 

"Alright we are all set up. Can you give me the VHS Steven?" She asked. Steven gave her the VHS and she popped it in the VHS player after turning off the lights. 

On screen was a beach. It looked like Steven's beach. Soon Dad was on the screen. With a woman laughing in the background. Dad introduced himself as Me. Universe saying 'get ready baby, you'll have the best dad in this side of the Cosmos'. It cut to the beach again. 

"Isn't it remarkable Steven?" The lady behind the camera said. Steven felt a connection to the woman when she said his name

"This world is full of so many possibilities, each living thing has a completely unique experience." She said. Her voice was soft and graceful. Connie and Sadie could feel tears pricking their eyes just from her voice. 

"The sights they see, the sounds they hear, the lives they live, are so complicated and so simple," she said again. Steven watched intensely. His face growing more and more confused with each passing word. 

"I can't wait for you to join," she said. Steven's confusion only grew. Join them? What did she mean by that? The lady turned the camera towards herself. She was a pale lady with light fluffy hair. Her lips were pink and she had a soft look in her eyes. 

"Steven," she said his name again. 

"We can't both exist, i am going to become half of you, and I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me loving you, and loving being you," she said. 

"Because you're going to be something extraordinary," she said. Steven's face softened a bit. 

"Your going to be a human being," she said. His face shifted to shock from that last sentence. 

"Take care of them, Steven," she said one last time. The video ended shortly. Sadie turned on the lights while wiping away tears. 

"Wow, that was a really emotional video huh guys?" She said. Connie nodded her head softly but Steven just stood up. 

He had tears running down his face and a glare harsh enough to shatter glass. Sadie and Connie looked confused as he pushed himself past them.

"Steven wait! Where are you going?" She yelled out to him trying to grab him but, he pushed her away stomping his way out the franchise. He has some business to get to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh drama. The suspense. I'll try and get the 9th chapter out to you guys as soon as I can. 
> 
> I tried to match up the words said in the video from the show as best as I could. 
> 
> Anyway see you next time


	9. It all ends the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a mental breakdown

The house shook as Steven lamed open the door. All three gems in the room shook when he suddenly barged in. Amethyst had to juggle to get back the sandwich she was eating. 

"Whoa dude, what's gotten into you!" Amethyst exclaimed. 

"Don't whoa dude me, Amethyst," Steven snapped at her. This surprised everyone as recently they've gotten along very well. 

"Steven? What's the matter?" Pearl asked concerned. He just glared and gritted his teeth. 

"You all knew!" He exclaimed. He was shaking with how angry he was at all of them. 

"Knew what! What do we know!" Pearl yelled with so much shock in her voice. She wasn't yelling in anger but rather pure shock that Steven was upset with her. 

"You knew Rose wanted me to be human but you chose to keep me here!" He yelled. More tears ran down his face. 

"What are you talking about?" Pearl asked. 

"I could've had a life were I had friends, a dad and a life, but instead you took that all away from me! and for what, some stupid training!" He yelled. 

"Steven calm down let's try to have a civil conversation," garnet said trying to defuse the situation.

"SHUT UP! I don't have to have a civil conversation with you!" Steven yelled even louder. He turned his attention back to the rest of them. 

"All of you have ripped a life away from me! A life I deserved!" He yelled. He cupped his face in his hands as he began to sob. Pearl tried to reach out to him to comfort him but slapped her hand away from. 

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He yelled before pushing them all away from him and running towards the temple and toward his room. They all stood there for a moment shocked. 

"I told you this would happen…." Amethyst mumbled. Pearl looked at her in confusion. 

"What!" She sorta yelled. 

"I told you this would happen! I told you it was a bad idea and you didn't listen to me!" Amethyst yelled. Pearl got a look of anger on her face. 

"How were we supposed to know this would happen?!" She asked. 

"Oh, I don't know? How about Rose talking for months about how she couldn't wait to have a human child!" She yelled at her. 

"Ugh, well we thought this was best for him! Right Garnet?" She turned her attention back to Garnet. Garnet was looking at her hands and shaking. 

"I didn't….. I thought…. I saw….. ugh." Garnet mumbled to herself before lighting up. Her gems going into two red and blue gems before splitting up into two small gems. Pearl and Amethyst looked on in shock. 

"Sapphire wait! It's ok we can fix it!" The red gem exclaimed. Sapphire was crying. 

"No we can't Ruby! We can't fix this!" She exclaimed sobbing. 

"I saw this coming but I let myself be persuaded! This isn't something we can just fix! It all ends badly! It all ends the same!" She yelled that last bit. She started mumbling that last sentence over and over again to herself. Ruby stood by her putting her hand on her shoulder. She was crying too. Amethyst at this point has stormed off to her room and pearl just stood there trying not to cry and failing. No one had no idea what to do at this point. 

Connie ran towards the beach as fast as she could. Oh why did they watch that video? She had no idea what was going to happen. Would the gems know of her existence? Once at the fence she instantly jumped over. It took a couple of minutes but she could see a house and she ran towards it. At the door she instantly started banging at it. A short blue woman opened the door in confusion. She had tears down her face. Something bad must have happened if she was crying. 

"Where's Steven?!" She yelled frantically.

Steven sat on the floor of his, or was it Rose's, room. At this point he had no more energy to be angry was just sad. Why would the gems do this to him? To his mom. He honestly felt trapped at this point. He had no one to turn to. Yeah he could talk to Connie but she doesn't know what this feels like. Steven put his arm over his eyes. He cried so much that he couldn't cry anymore and he was just sad. 

"I wish there was someone who could understand…." He mumbled to himself. He heard the clouds move around him. He sat up to see what the clouds could be making. 

Instead of making something, the clouds parted and he could see the waterfalls of Pearl's room. He tilted his head in confusion before sighing and getting up and walking towards the waterfalls

When he got there some of the pools came out to him and what they revealed confused him. 

It was an ornate mirror. He's seen this mirror before. Pearl told him about it and she put it within her stuff. She must have not put it back in her gem. He picked it up softly and held it in his hand. He turned it over to see a blue gem on the other side. It had a long crack going across it.

"A lapis lazuli?" He whispered to himself. He looked up and ahead. He knew what he had to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's shorter than the other chapters but it is still important


	10. Watery eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven frees a gem.

Connie stood in front of the 3 gems. The blue and red ones looked shocked at her presence and the tall one was just glaring at her. 

The door behind them opened and out came Steven. He looked like he had been crying and just stared straight ahead. 

"Steven!" She yelled. She quickly ran up to him and he had a look of shock on his face before she embraced him. He quickly hugged her back. They held each other for a moment before Steven let go. 

"Connie you know you're not supposed to be here." He said quietly. 

"Yeah I know… but you just ran out and it made me worried." She said quietly back. Sadie wanted to run to get him with her, but she had the shop to open up. She entrusted Connie to tell her what happened when she found Steven. She even gave her her phone number so she could text her. 

Suddenly Steven grabbed her hand and started marching towards the entrance. She was going to get her phone out to text Sadie but now she can't because Steven was pulling her away. 

"Wait Steven where are we going?" She asked. She was genuinely confused. All the gems in the room all gasped. 

"Away from here and away from them." He said, The way he said them was said with so much hate. He turned and glared at all of them. They tried to stop them but Steven quickly summoned his shield and blocked their advances before rushing out the door. He and Connie ran until they were behind some rocks far from the beach house. Connie ripped her arm out of Steven's grasp while catching her breath. 

"Why did we come here?" She asked still out of breath. His gem glowed as he summoned something else. It was the mirror. He held it in his hands and looked at its surface before looking at her. 

"There's a gem inside this mirror." He said simply. Connie tilted her head in confusion. 

"How do you know?" She asked. 

"The gems have taught me many things about gems outside earth." He said before flipping the mirror to show the cracked gem. 

"She is a lapis lazuli. They are known to tear apart worlds with their use of hydrokinesis." He explained. He stared gently at the mirror like he was planning something. 

"But why would a gem like her be in a mirror?" She asked. 

"I don't know. The gems just found her on a whim. Not caring to try and help her. Like how they don't care about many things." He said that last bit quietly. He was still very upset about what happened earlier. 

"Well how do we get her out?" She asked. If she was embedded in a mirror would they even be able to get her out?

"I don't know that either. I was thinking we could just break the mirror until the gem was completely out." He said, looking at the gem on the back. Suddenly a sound was coming out on the other side. They looked at the mirror as images played in front of them. The lapis was talking to them. She repeated words they said to convey a message. Before showcasing a few short frames of animation showing how to remove the gem. Connie and Steven looked at each other before nodding. Steven put his fingers around the gem. 

"Steven!" Pearl yelled in the distance. They looked in the direction from where she yelled. 

"Hurry Steven! We're gonna get caught!" Connie fretted. Steven started tugging on the gem. It was really stuck in there. He usually didn't struggle when it came to taking things out as he was pretty strong. This gem however was pretty stuck in there. The water from the shoreline started forming shapes around them. Connie looked in awe as finally Steven got the gem out and the mirror shattered. 

The gem started to glow and soon a blue gem formed. She was on the ground not moving before turning to look at them with glossy eyes. 

"You let me out.." she whispered. Connie rushed over to help her to stand. She stumbled but got the hang of it. 

"You actually let me out. You helped me." She said louder this time. She sounded shocked like she wasn't expecting this to happen. She looked to Steven with this confused look in her eyes. 

"Why..?" She asked. Steven looked away for a moment before looking at her. 

"The crystal gems didn't want to help you. And I used to as well. But…" Steven said. He took in a shaking breath before continuing. 

"I don't want to associate with that anymore. You deserve to be free. If the gems didn't want to help you." He said. He grabbed her hands, looked her in the eyes before continuing. 

"Then I do." He said. She had a look of bewilderment in her eyes. He took his hand and looked at it before taking it behind her back and touching her gem. Her whole body shook. Her colors became brighter and she now has pupils. 

"I'm not a crystal gem." He said, 

"And you don't have to be either. Lapis lazuli." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided for these last few chapters. They are going to be shorter and will be more spaced out for an nice effect. Instead of a thousand or so words this chapter is 800. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy


	11. The beginning of the end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to run away

"Steven!" Ruby yelled out when the gems reached them. Steven turned and glared at them. 

"Steven stay away from her, she's a homeworld gem, you don't know what she will do." Pearl warned. Steven gritted his teeth at them and continued to growl. 

"I will not listen to anymore of your lies!" He yelled. Behind him Lapis took on a defensive stance. 

"You three just can't help hurting everyone you see.." she growled. Behind them a giant water hand stood behind her. Connie looked at it with so much shock on her face. 

"You knew I was there, but you didn't care enough to do anything!" She yelled. The giant hand smashed at them. They managed to get away in time but stumbled back a bit due to the force from the hand. Ruby and sapphire held each other's hands and fused to form Garnet. Steven took no notice of this and turned to Lapis. Wings sprouted from her back and she held her hand out. She held her hand out to him. 

"Come with me Steven. Let's go far away from this terrible place. Come to homeworld with me." Lapis said with a serious expression. Steven glanced at the gems before looking back at Lapis. He looked her in the eyes and took her hands. 

"Let's," he said simply. 

"Wait Steven, you can't be serious," Connie half shouted. She couldn't believe he would agree to leave with Lapis so quickly. 

"I am very serious Connie," he said. He had a blank look on his face. He's made up his mind. In front of them the gems looking devastated. 

"But Steven, you can't leave, not now," Connie said tears pricking at her eyes. He was the only friend she had. She can't lose him. 

"What are you talking about Connie? You're coming with me." He said. He has let go of Lapis' and turned fully to her. He looked at her confused. 

"I can't go to homeworld, I have a family and, and I don't even know where that is." She said. Steven looked up and pointed towards the sky. 

"Homeworld is up there," he said. Maybe telling her where it is will convince her to go with him. 

"I can't go into space! I won't be able to breathe! I'll die!" She yelled looking at the sky and holding her face. That hit Steven hard. She will die if she went with him? Tears pricked his eyes and he turned to Lapis. Lapis looked confused about what Connie was so upset about. Steven looked to the ground before looking at her. 

"I can't go with Lapis…" he said quietly. Lapis' face turned to shock. 

"What!" She half yelled. 

"I can't go with you Lapis. I can't leave Connie. She was my first friend…. She is my everything I can't leave her!" He said. Lapis stared at him before glaring. 

"Fine." She said simply before shooting into the sky. Droplets of water in her path. He turned to Connie who had a smile on her face. She was happy he stayed. So happy that happy tears were falling on her face. He walked over to her and wiped her tears away. 

"Steven!" Pearl yelled as she ran to him and picked him up in a hug. He wanted to be angry with her, but she was crying heavily on him. Did she really care? Amethyst and Garnet joined them in a hug. 

"Oh don't scare us like that again Steven. I nearly cracked my gem!" Pearl fretted over exaggerating. They all sat on the ground together. They stood around him. They all had a look of relief and happiness on their faces. 

"Steven.. I do believe I can speak for all of us that we owe you an apology." Garnet said. She had a single tear going down the middle of her face but it was broken up by the smile on her face. Steven was shocked. They were apologizing?

"Yeah dude we shouldn't have done all that stuff. We just…. Wanted to protect you ste-man," Amethyst said. She was looking at the ground sadly but she too had a smile on her face. Pearl put her hand on his face and looked at him in the eyes. 

"I think I should apologize the most Steven. I… I'm sorry for not letting you fulfill your life. It was wrong and selfish of me. I never wanted to hurt you Steven," she said. She still had tears running down her face but again, she had a smile on her face. Steven looked away for a moment. Thinking. Before looking back at them.

"That is true… and I don't know if I can fully forget you…. But I think I can try," he said, looking at them. They all smiled brightly and brought him in for a hug. Forgiveness won't be easy. But it's not hard to at least try. 

Connie stood beside them not knowing what to do. Pearl peaked at her. She smiled and held out her hand. Connie looked at it with caution before grabbing it. She was quickly pulled into the hug. They all sat there. Enjoying these moments together as one big family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey welcome everyone to the beginning of the end. Literally. After the next chapter this is it, but do not worry I will post the second book which will be titled "On The Defense" which will be a one shot book based on this way. 
> 
> Stay hydrated! Bye


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes a change

"Are you sure about this Steven?" Connie asked. She held a pair of scissors in her hands as Steven sat in front of her with a towel over his shoulders. She has never cut hair before. Steven specifically asked her to cut his hair. 

"Yes I'm sure. I consulted with Garnet before hand and she gave the A-OK," he said bringing up a hand and pulling a thumbs up. Connie breathed in before cutting. She started with a large chunk of his. Before cutting out dinner details. When she was fine she stepped out of the room so that he could change. On the bed were some jeans and flip flops. Those weren't important though as the most important item was the red shirt with a large yellow star on the top. He grabbed the sweater he wore now and took it off. Replacing it with the shirt. He did the same with his pants and his shoes. 

"Connie I'm finished!" He yelled out to her. She walked back in and she handed him a mirror. 

In the reflection was him. Though this time with the star shirt and with short hair. It seemed to be even more fluffy than before. It no longer covered half of his face, but rather showed all of It. He felt more like him this way. 

"So… what do you think? Did I do a good job?" Connie asked nervously. He looked at her before looking at his reflection. He smiled. 

"Yes. It's perfect." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is a wrap. I am super happy about the response I have gotten for this story. 
> 
> I will make the one shot story soon
> 
> Bye


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